Pale-legged HorneroFurnarius leucopus

Like the Wing-banded Hornero (Furnarius figulus) of eastern and central Brazil, with which the present species is sometimes found in close sympatry, the Pale-legged Hornero has been a recent beneficiary of anthropogenic habitat change, spreading into and colonizing ‘new’ areas following deforestation. It is a reasonably widespread inhabitant of northern and central South America, although the species is generally commoner and more widespread south of the Amazon River, rather than north of it. The Pale-legged Hornero is a distinctive bird, readily separated from other horneros by virtue of its pale (usually pinkish) legs, strong white supercilia, bold white throat (sometimes coupled with clean white underparts), and usually dark crown, which in combination will usually clinch the species’ identification. Some seven subspecies are generally recognized across the Pale-legged Hornero’s broad range, which chiefly differ in their underparts patterns and crown color, and some of which, especially F. l. cinnamomeus of western Ecuador and northwest Peru, have occasionally been mooted as worthy of separate species status, although recent research suggests that their vocalizations are strongly concordant with one another.

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